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What do you pay for gas?

We Americans bring those high gas prices on ourselves. Too many people drive back and forth to work by themselves in a full size SUVs or Trucks. Then they have the nerve to complain about the price of fuel. When will people wise up?
 
Ell said:
I mean, really, how many people need a 7-seater Suburban or HumV for city driving?
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You are very right about that. We do have a tiny bit of that problem here too. I live down the street from the Hallmark Institute of Photography. It's a 10 month $30k program. Financial aid is a possibility, but most of the kids there come from lots and lots of money. There's a good dozen H2s that drive from the area with rentals past my house to the school every day. While I can rationalize having a 4x4 because of the winter, I think these kids might be a bit excessive. I can't imagine spending that kind of money for a status symbol. Especially since they all seem to be fresh out of high school (so no kids, dogs or loads of mulch to tote around).
 
mehastings said:
You are very right about that. We do have a tiny bit of that problem here too. I live down the street from the Hallmark Institute of Photography. It's a 10 month $30k program. Financial aid is a possibility, but most of the kids there come from lots and lots of money. There's a good dozen H2s that drive from the area with rentals past my house to the school every day. While I can rationalize having a 4x4 because of the winter, I think these kids might be a bit excessive. I can't imagine spending that kind of money for a status symbol. Especially since they all seem to be fresh out of high school (so no kids, dogs or loads of mulch to tote around).
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And I think that quite a lot of people buy SUVs because they HAVE to, not because they think about the status thing etc. We had to buy our Suzuki Grand Vitara, as otherwise it is too difficult to get to our country house even in Summer - the road is good only for tanks... And last Winter we had nearly crushed in the creek, as the road was frozen... Cannot imagine what we would have done if we used some non-SUV...
 
Sergo said:
And I think that quite a lot of people buy SUVs because they HAVE to, not because they think about the status thing etc. We had to buy our Suzuki Grand Vitara, as otherwise it is too difficult to get to our country house even in Summer - the road is good only for tanks... And last Winter we had nearly crushed in the creek, as the road was frozen... Cannot imagine what we would have done if we used some non-SUV...
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Not in the States, my friend. Most people don't buy those for practical reasons. They don’t take them off paved roads, and they don’t take them out of the garage when the snow gets heavy.
 
Robert said:
Not in the States, my friend. Most people don't buy those for practical reasons. They don’t take them off paved roads, and they don’t take them out of the garage when the snow gets heavy.
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I totally agree about them being popular for practical reasons. When you have kids, you want SPACE!. You don't want some gas sipping knees-to-you-chest, scrunched in compact car. :D
 
SFG75 said:
I totally agree about them being popular for practical reasons. When you have kids, you want SPACE!. You don't want some gas sipping knees-to-you-chest, scrunched in compact car. :D
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Yeah, right. Ok, I have to ask. What kind of SUV do you drive? ;)

Why would it have to be a subcompact? Most people that I know would do just as well with a midsize or large sedan that gets much better fuel economy. There are a few that need the power to pull a large boat or trailer, but they're few and far between.
 
I'm paying $2.75/gallon. This is the highest I've ever seen it too. I can remember when I first started driving (not that long ago!) it was about $1.30/gallon.

What do you guys think of an SUV hybrid? I've heard talk about that kind of thing but I'm not sure how far along it is to reality yet.
 
KristoCat said:
What do you guys think of an SUV hybrid? I've heard talk about that kind of thing but I'm not sure how far along it is to reality yet.
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There are a few out there. There's the Ford Escape, which is a shitty little Rav4 kind of death trap style SUV. If you are buying an SUV because you need one, it's not the way to go. Then, there is the Toyota Highlander. It's new, midsized and a really nice car. The downside is that it's about $40k. I know you save a lot in gas, and at these rates you'd probably recoup the extra money over the life of the car. However, it's a really high payment for someone like me. I'd kill for a shot at one, but I'll probably end up with something cheaper. I've also heard that the H3 is going to have a hybrid option. I think the H3 is a huge waste of money, but if you need to get one to make yourself feel special, it might as well be a hybrid.
 
Has anyone used the Biodiesel fuel yet? When I got my car last fall they said I could use biodiesel a soy based fuel I think and I just noticed a place on post that has it, I'm thinking of trying it but don't know much about it.
 
Robert said:
Not in the States, my friend. Most people don't buy those for practical reasons. They don’t take them off paved roads, and they don’t take them out of the garage when the snow gets heavy.
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I understand you, Robert - of course there are people everywhere who just LUV big expensive cars, no matter if they need them for practical reasons or not. But I think that even in the USA there are lots of people who need SUVs for driving, not for showing off. Life is never in two colors, you know...
 
Sergo said:
I understand you, Robert - of course there are people everywhere who just LUV big expensive cars, no matter if they need them for practical reasons or not. But I think that even in the USA there are lots of people who need SUVs for driving, not for showing off. Life is never in two colors, you know...
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Not in America, Sergo. I'm sure there are some that need that 18 foot SUV and all it’s power, but most just want them. You get a couple of dinks (duel income no kids), they don't camp, they don't have a boat or a trailer to haul, and the road is paved right up to they're garage. They use them to drive to work 40 or 60 miles each way, by themselves because they want the flexibility of leaving whenever they want. We rarely get snow here, and when we do, most of them are smart enough not to go out in it. Even some that do go out in the snow would do just as well with a front wheel drive sedan. Trust me when I say they’re great in snow.
 
I noticed today that Regular is anywhere from $2.59 to $2.68 a gallon just in my immediate vicinity. But I also heard today that relative to inflation gas prices are about the same as they were in 1980. I have no info to verify that statement, however.

I do know that my relatives in England pay north of $6/gallon and have been for years.
 
novella said:
I noticed today that Regular is anywhere from $2.59 to $2.68 a gallon just in my immediate vicinity. But I also heard today that relative to inflation gas prices are about the same as they were in 1980. I have no info to verify that statement, however.

I do know that my relatives in England pay north of $6/gallon and have been for years.
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I've heard the same thing, though that was before the last price hike (or two).
 
Robert said:
Here's a novel approach to the problem...
Hawaii caps gas prices
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This is a great idea. My county has the second lowest per capita income in the state, yet our gas prices are as high as they are in Boston. There are two companies here with a strangle hold on gas. It's really pretty crummy.
 
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